In some known devices for pneumatically inserting the weft into a loom comprising a picking nozzle at one side, the conventional reed for separating the warp threads is associated with an auxiliary reed called a "confiner" and with relay nozzles of the type mentioned, all these components being carried by and moved with the batten.
The confiner reed defines a channel through which the weft is inserted, the relay nozzles being supplied with compressed air and contributing to draw the weft and guide it until it arrives at the opposite side of the machine from the picking nozzle.
In one device, described in French PS 81 18565 dated Sept. 28, 1981 in the name of the present applicants (publication No. 2 513 667) and shown in cross-section in FIG. 1 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, the confiner (1) is externally secured against one flank of the reed-bearing section member (2) and the relay nozzles (3) are held by holders (4) secured to the outer surface of the confiner (1). The confiner (1) is thus secured more closely to the reed (5) than the relay nozzles (3) are. The dents of the confiner (1) are each divided into two branches which co-operate to define a diamond-shaped recess 6, the recesses 6 of all the dents being aligned and forming a channel for inserting the weft. The dents disposed opposite the relay nozzles 3, however, omit one branch, so that the relay nozzles 3 can extend into the insertion channel in order to produce air jets therein. A slit 7 is left between the two brands of each dent of confiner 1 so that the weft thread can be released from the channel after insertion. The forward movement of the batten occurs after the weft thread has been extracted, i.e. can be very near the temples 8.
In spite of its advantages, this device has a disadvantage when weaving threads made up of untwisted filaments which are not interlaced or are only very slightly interlaced (synthetic threads). In such cases there is a risk that the filaments will become separated at the tips of the branches of the confiner dents.
In other known devices, the reed has an incorporated confiner, i.e. a confiner which forms part of the reed. In that case the dents 9 of the reed 5 have a special shape, a known example of which is shown in FIG. 2. Each dent facing the relay nozzles 3 has is defined between two e.g. triangular projecting parts between which a U-shaped recess 6 is formed substantially half way up the reed. This eliminates the sharp parts which might catch the weft threads, but the insertion channel has a wide opening at the top, resulting in a high consumption of compressed air, and the beating-up point is removed to a greater distance from the temples 8.